Whether they have enormous mansions or an endless travel fund, we often wonder what it would be like to step into their shoes. Here is a compiled list of the world’s richest royals.
Monaco Royal Family
Estimated net worth: $1 billion The Monaco Royal Family, who you might recognize as the House of Grimaldi, has been very fortunate financially. However, finances might be the only thing they have much luck in.
Prince Albert gets a lot of his fortune by owning real estate in both France and Monaco. Additionally, he is the vice president of the Princess Grace Foundation, an American charity that supports emerging names in the arts.
So, when the woman was released, she pledged to get revenge on the family forever. She became a witch and put a curse on the family for future generations. And it seems that the curse has held true. To this day, members of the Grimaldi family have not had many successes in their romantic partners.
Moroccan Royal Family
Estimated net worth: $20 billion The Morrocan Royal family, who is headed by King Mohammed VI, has made some interesting leaps in Morocco’s history. The King outwardly broke some dated traditions by the way he handled his marriage with Princess Lalla Salma.
After giving her a title and acknowledging her publicly after the wedding, the public perceived his modern ideals in different ways. But, criticism faded away due to Princess Lalla Salma’s efforts in creating a charity. She is even a Goodwill Ambassador for the WHO. Unfortunately, she and the king are now divorced.
He is also known for spending a large amount of money while pursuing those goals. For example, last year he spent $4.6 million per month on employee wages, $124,000 on car repairs, and $86,000 on animal care — that is a lot of money!
Bahrain Royal Family
Estimated net worth: $4 billion The Royal Family of Bahrain, who is also known as the House of Khalifa, has ruled since the year 1766. The family is very popular and personable, as King Hamad bin Isa was close friends with people like the late Queen Elizabeth and Kim Kardashian.
The House of Khalifa gets a lot of their fortune from a massive oil reserve that they discovered back in 1932. Even though the king himself has a net worth of $4 billion, people speculate that the amount is much higher due to the family's investments.
The King’s personal yacht was custom built in Italy in 1991. The other yacht was given as a gift. Since they have so much money, some people speculate that some of their wealth was even stolen!
Qatari Royal Family
Estimated net worth: $335 billion Qatar’s Royal family, otherwise known as the House of Thani, has ruled for the last 200 years. The current ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, is actually the youngest sovereign in the world.
The family holds many assets in the United Kingdom such as the Olympic village, Harrods department store, and the Shard skyscraper. Additionally, they have large investments in companies like Volkswagen and Tiffany & Co.
This will undoubtedly lead to increased revenue for Qatar and, inevitably, the Qatar Royal Family. But, if it happens to fail, they will have enough money to fall back on due to their massive amount of savings.
British Royal Family
Estimated net worth: $88 billion The overall wealth of the beloved and well-known British Royal Family is calculated by the individual family member’s earnings. For example, the late Queen Elizabeth’s fortune was around $530 million and Meghan Markle’s is at $5 million.
Also, the calculation includes possessions such as art collections, prized jewels, estates, and personal items like clothing, jewelry, and family heirlooms. Another part of their wealth comes from a trust called the Crown Estate which gave the Queen 25 percent of all the revenue gained from tourism, as well as a portion from citizen taxes. Will King Charles inherit all this?
They choose to re-wear designer pieces, they furnish their home with Ikea furniture, and they eat leftovers, which they store in Tupperware containers just like everyone else.
Dutch Royal Family
Estimated net worth: $200 million The Dutch Royal Family looks like the picture-perfect family bred in the labs where they probably made the Kinder chocolate kids. With a net worth of $300 million, you’d imagine that they live pretty comfortably.
They are also one of the most expensive families in the world, and here’s why: The family has invested in the Royal Dutch Shell Oil Company, and their personal fortune is approximately $200 million. Their extravagant lifestyle in their Amsterdam royal palace is the dream life, but it does come at a cost.
This is due to them owning three entire royal palaces: one in Amsterdam, one called the Noordeinde Palace, and one called Huis ten Bosch. So, it goes without saying that their expenses can get pretty massive.
Thai Royal Family
Estimated net worth: $60 billion The Thai Royal family is most famously known as King Bhumibol Adulyadej, their late king who acquired a fortune of $30 billion in the Crown Property Bureau.
When he died and the new king took over, those fortunes were passed down and added to the new king’s personal earnings. Many speculate where the money has come from, and even the family has admitted that the origins of their money are quite mysterious.
Just like many other royal families, many people wonder where their money comes from. But, the family has improved their image since then, masking the mystery of their money.
Liechtenstein Royal Family
Estimated net worth: $12 billion Prince Hans-Adam II is perhaps one of the most honored and worshiped royals in the world. He lives in a beautiful castle looking out to the Alpine mountains, and his 38,000 citizens only ever formally address him as “Your Serene Highness.”
This makes you wonder — how does someone become that wealthy and privileged? Well, the easy answer is that he owns various art museums, but he also gets money from his family bank, and he doesn’t even have to pay taxes!
Thus, he created art museums to do so. Hans-Adam II said in an interview in 2004 that his family has traditionally been showing its art to the public. “World War II forced my father to put it into storage. It is a great pleasure for me — and for the whole family — to show it again.”
Kuwaiti Royal Family
Estimated net worth: $360 billion Kuwait’s Royal family, also called the Al-Sabah family, currently comes in as the second richest Royal family in the world. Even though it is smaller than the Qatar family, the Kuwait family has more wealth from their stocks and shares.
Since the 1990s, these stocks and shares have quadrupled. This makes them the largest stakeholders in most of the major blue-chip companies in the U.S.
According to her, the number of parties they have is not important. The important thing is the information they learn from Washington to report back to their homeland while representing their interests to America. She is a successful businesswoman and ambassador for the small, yet powerful country of Kuwait.
The Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg
Estimated net worth: $4 billion The Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg, also known as the House of Luxembourg, is led by the sovereign Grand Duke Henri. He was given this title from his father and other generations that came before him.
Henri studied in Luxembourg and France where he was trained to be a military officer. After this, he also studied political science at the University of Geneva. Sound like a man with a mind as sharp as his sword, so to speak.
Additionally, he is the commander-in-chief of the Luxembourg Army. We were wondering why would a fairly peaceful country with a population of a little over 600,000 people would even need an army but that's a topic for a completely different article so never mind.
Abu Dhabi Royal Family
Estimated net worth: $150 billion Abu Dhabi has been ruled by the House of Nahyan since 1793. The family consists of 200 male family members, and the number of female family members is unknown. Most of their money comes from oil reserves that originated in the oil boom that happened in the 1970s.
The Sheikh’s wife had her own personal hairstylist that she would fly to wherever she needed her to be — fancy, right? She claimed, “Once when we were in Cyprus, where she has a charity, she gave me an envelope and told me to treat my little girl. There was $3000 (£1900) in there and that happened fairly often. Anything you wanted, you just asked.” Talk about privilege!
"I would ask her what she had on that day and would style her hair accordingly." The hairstylist soon became her overall stylist and helped her pick out outfits and jewelry. "There were diamonds and rubies and strings and strings of Chanel pearls. She also had hundreds of handbags – lots of Chanel and Hermes." She also revealed that they travel lavishly, and they have tons of private jets.
Dubai Royal Family
Estimated net worth: $19 billion Dubai’s Royal family, otherwise known as the House of Maktoum, has ruled Dubai for just under 200 years. With 12 members of the family bringing in money, the family’s wealth is consistently rising.
Currently, it has stayed static at $19 billion, but it has a strong likelihood of increasing. The richest family member is Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum who is the Vice President and Prime Minister of the Arab Emirates.
With his money, he is known for donating it to different charities. In his studies, he created a vision for a better society which is a goal he still is actively working towards.
Saudi Royal Family
Estimated net worth: 1.7 trillion The family that rules Saudi Arabia, otherwise known as The House of Saud, have been ruling their kingdom for over 200 years. With a land rich in oil and natural resources, the family was already set up to be quite a bit wealthier than any other kingdom. But, what sets them apart is their business and investments.
The royal family is substantially larger than European royals such as the British or the Dutch. King Salman, for example, has no less than 13 children and other members of his family have a similar number of kids. Exponential growth is the key to those numbers.
His most publicized palace is called the Promotion Palace, which is his third-largest. The tenant of this palace are the prince and his two wives. The palace's grounds include a mosque, 3 swimming pools, gold-plated faucets, 4 kitchens for different types of food plus a fifth kitchen for desserts, and chefs who can accommodate the needs of up to 2,000 people within an hour.
The flooring on the bottom level is completely transparent, so passengers can look down at the views below. The Saudi Arabian king owns a lavish yacht which includes a gym, pool, cinema, spa, and more - sounds like more of a cruise ship than a yacht!
The estimated cost of plating each of his cars in gold is about around $5,000, and sending such a car overseas costs about $25,000 using Qatar Airways. One of the prince's Instagram videos shows him driving a Mercedez chasing a camel through the desert.
They also have substantial investments in some of the largest companies in the world, such as Uber, WeWork, Twitter, Snapchat, Tesla, and more. WeWork, for example, has $4.4 billion invested in it by the House of Saud.
While Cheetas are indeed popular, some members of the royal family have branched out and started keeping other kinds of big cats, and even falcons and monkeys.
Brunei Royal Family
Estimated net worth: $30 billion The country of Brunei isn’t commonly known by many, but the Brunei Royal Family is incredibly well-known. Brunei is known for its national alcohol ban and lack of nightlife, so it is fair to say it is not exactly a dream destination.
Still, the country is ranked fifth in the world in terms of wealth. Out of the family, Prince Jefri is amongst the most unruly. He lives an extravagant lifestyle with numerous palaces and yachts.
If you thought that was a lot, you might want to sit down for this — they also have a private zoo, life-size statues, golf courses, and hundreds of custom luxury suits — and that’s only to name a few! “They could have cured diseases with their money,” an adviser told Jefri in an interview. “But they have little interest in the rest of humanity.”
Belgian Royal Family
Estimated net worth: $14 million The Belgian royal family, otherwise known as the Monarchy of Belgium, serves as the country's head of state. King Philippe was named the King of the Belgians in 2013, and he currently holds that role.
He married Countess Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz, and they have four children together. The eldest daughter, Princess Elisabeth, is the first in the line of succession.
Additionally, the government honored Philippe by naming him honorary chairman of Belgium's Foreign Trade Board. However, after becoming the King, his sister, Princess Astrid, took over this role.
Spanish Royal Family
Estimated net worth: $20 million The Spanish Royal Family, known as the Monarchy of Spain or, constitutionally, The Crown, is the highest office in Spain.
Currently, the members of the family include King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and their two daughters: Leonor, Princess of Asturias, and Infanta Sofía. The Monarchy of Spain acts as the government, as stated in their reestablished constitution (1978).
Still, the King’s approval rating remained over 70% which is higher than many other political leaders in other countries. In fact, King Felipe VI is considered to be one of the most honored public figures in Spain.
Norwegian Royal Family
Estimated net worth: $30 million The Royal House of Norway — or the House of Glücksburg if your local — is led by King Harald and Queen Sonja. The monarchy has dated back thousands of years, but the modern monarchy is relatively quite young.
The royal family tree is pretty convoluted. This is due to Norway and Denmark being merged underneath the same monarch many years ago. The merge changed in 1905 when Norway and Sweden separated from the monarch and created their own separate singular monarch.
They cost roughly $72 million a year due to their royal palace and personal expenses. They own many houses, including the royal palace, and they also own an extravagant yacht.
Danish Royal Family
Estimated net worth: $40 million The Danish Royal Monarchy is one of the oldest monarchies in the world, as it has existed in over 1000 years. Since 1972, Queen Margrethe II has been the reigning leader of Denmark.
The family already receives a fund of $12.8 million for the Queen’s expenses which includes activities, household operations, and personal expenses.
He is in the line of succession for the throne. The couple married in May of 2004, which turned Miss Mary Elizabeth Donaldson into the Crown Princess.
Swedish Royal Family
Estimated net worth: $70 million The Swedish Royal Family, otherwise known as the Swedish Royal House of Bernadotte, has ruled Sweden since 1818. That's a long time to be passing down a crown.
Currently, the members of this family are responsible for performing official engagements and ceremonial duties. But, some members of the family are considered extended and, therefore, not considered to be royalty.
Other than that, they also received a fund of $7.4 million for palace administration for their royal household. The family’s wealth has been spent on their extravagant royal palace and their summer home in the Baltics.
Swaziland Royal Family
Estimated net worth: $100 million The Swaziland Royal Family, better known as the House of Dlamini, rules Swaziland (AKA Eswatini) — a small country in Africa. King Mswati III serves as the current king of Eswatini after inheriting the crown from his father at the young age of only 18 years old.
His policies and lifestyle are known for being very controversial, as he practices polygamy and has 15 wives and many children. This led to many protests within the country as well as international criticism.
Many reports say that the family is selfish with their money and that "the royal family seems to live in its own world that is totally unaffected by the country's struggles.” So, it is easy to say that this family is not the most honored and idolized as the other families on this list.
Oman Royal Family
Estimated net worth: $900 million Qaboos bin Said has ruled Oman as the Sultan of Oman until his death in January 2020. At the time of his death, he held the record of being the longest-reigning leader in the Middle East.
Qaboos made history by ending the country’s international isolation after overthrowing his father with British support. He implemented more modern policies that advanced the living standards in his country.
In the letter, he stated that his intended successor would be his cousin, Haitham bin Tariq, who is now honored as the Sultan of Oman. In his first speech as the Sultan, he stated that he would uphold Qaboos’ modern policies.
Jordanian Royal Family
Estimated net worth: $750 million After King Hussein died in 1999, Abdullah II became the king of Jordan. He has been a very successful and esteemed leader in his time so far.
He created reforms that led the country to the 2008 economic boom, and he quickly put policies in place to change the government. Additionally, he had to deal with the lack of trade in Jordan’s neighboring countries and the decrease in petroleum supply.
Other than that, he invested in the Star Trek theme park which is a part of the $1.55 billion Red Sea Astrarium. He also briefly appeared in a "Star Trek: Voyager" episode, titled "Investigations.” Additionally, he promotes tourism in Jordan, and he was even a virtual tour guide on "Jordan: The Royal Tour".
Japanese Royal Family
Estimated net worth: $40 million The Japanese Royal Family, formally called the Imperial House of Japan, is composed of the extended family members of the reigning Emperor of Japan.
In Japan, the emperor is "the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people,” but the other members of the family are responsible for performing social and ceremonial duties. The emperor title is passed down to the son of the current emperor.
Historians are unsure of the exact amount of emperors there has been, but the count is estimated to be around 125. The emperor’s seat is called the Chrysanthemum Throne and it is located in the Imperial Palace in Kyoto, Japan.
Bhutan's House of Wangchuck
Estimated net worth: $32 billion The House of Wangchuck is has been ruling Bhutan since 1907. The monarch leading the family is referred to as the Dragon King, which is probably the coolest real title given to a modern-day person. Outside of Bhutan, this person is simply known as the King of Bhutan. The current Dragon King is Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchukin.
In 2008, at the time of his coronation, Jigme Khesar was only 28 years old, making him the youngest person in the world to lead a country.
The young couple's honeymoon included visits to different parts of Bhutan, where they were greeted by decorates street and dancing townsfolk, as well as trips to India and Japan.
Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan of Ugbo Land
Estimated net worth: $300 million You can find Ugbo Land in southwest Nigeria, and in it, you can find oil. Lots of it. All that oil is actually the main source of riches for Oba Obateru Akinrutan, the king of Ugbo Land. His official title is Olugbo, — the traditional king.
He first assumed the throne in 2009 but he has been enjoying immense wealth even before that. In 1981, he founded OBAT Oil, which is the largest private oil trading company in Nigeria.
Other than that, the King is big on investing in real estate, including but not limited to Nigeria, London, and the Central Business District of Abuja.
Oba Okunade Sijuwade of Ile-Ife
Estimated net worth: At least $75 million The full name is Alayeluwa Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II, and it is quite the mouthful. His local title is Ọọ̀ni, which is a traditional King in Ile-Ife, which is an ancient city located in Southwest Nigeria. The legend has it that this is the origin country of the Yoruba people.
Oba Sijuwade first sat in the throne in 1980 and he knows how to do business just as well as lead his country. He learned it all as a teenager from his father, who was King before him. Just like a proper apprentice.
Other than that, he has successfully gone into the oil business and different construction projects in Nigeria. He, too, owns real estate both in the U.K. and Nigeria.
Ghana Royal Family
Estimated net worth: $12 million Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is the 5th richest king in the continent of Africa. He went to graduate school in the United Kingdom, and he went on to work in private and public organizations in other countries such as Canada.
In 1989, he decided to return to Ghana to lead a 12 million dollar company that provided mining services in Africa. Thanks to his upbringing, he excelled in the business, and his personal net worth alone (not including the family’s wealth) is a whopping $10 million.
Other than business, some of the king's wealth comes from an impressive collection of crown jewels as well as real estate investments in Ghana and South Africa.
The current king resides at a new palace, adjacent to the first one. While it may not be as lavish as the palaces of other royals on this list, it is impressive compared to its immediate surroundings and is even used for traditional large-scale events.